Rashad Evans, Ryan Bader Targeting Matchup at UFC 192 in Houston

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Rashad Evans is nearing his UFC return, and it appears that his desired showdown with Ryan Bader will come to fruition.

According to a report on Wednesday’s edition of “UFC Tonight,” both Evans and Bader are interested in fighting each other at UFC 192, which takes place at in Houston on Oct. 3. With both sides on board, the light heavyweight matchup has a good chance of being booked for the event. No fights have been officially announced for UFC 192 as of yet.

Evans has not competed since a victory over Chael Sonnen at UFC 167 in November 2013. “Suga” was expected to make his return against Glover Teixeira at UFC Fight Night in Brazil on Feb. 22, but after Teixeira withdrew from the bout, Evans elected to have a second corrective procedure on his knee. Evans initially tore his ACL prior to a proposed bout with Daniel Cormier at UFC 170.

Bader has won his last four contests, including a split-verdict over Phil Davis in his most recent appearance at UFC on Fox 14. The Power MMA Team representative pushed hard for a fight with Cormier after the American Kickboxing Academy product captured the 205-pound belt at UFC 187, but the UFC recently named Alexander Gustafsson as the next title challenger.